Faith-Based
After School Programs:
A Survey of Best-Practice Models
Church
of Peace, Presbyterian
Los Angeles, 323-731-7779
3pm - 5pm
Esther Sung, director
Located
in Korea Town of Los Angeles, the Presbyterian Church of Peace
(80 -100 members) provides after school tutoring Monday through
Friday. The program started last summer and is currently geared
towards new immigrants who are learning English as a second
language. Later, Esther Sung, Director, hopes to open the
program up to the wider community to include Hispanic and
African-American students as well. Ms. Sung, a public school
teacher, and one other teacher are working with about 15 children
from kindergarten through seventh grade. They are looking
for volunteers and help with funding. It has been difficult
finding bilingual volunteers willing to help.
Through
their pastor's vision and seeing that recent immigrants were
having difficulties in school, a meeting was held with the
school counselors and teachers. Since the tutoring program
at Church of Peace began, the students' grades and English
have markedly improved. The students are also coached in how
to work with school counselors and teachers.
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MCC
- San Francisco
Phyllis Nelson, Development Director
415-865-2744
The
500 member Metropolitan Community Church of San Francisco
has reached out to a nearby school. Through a state-funded
program called Project Safe Children, the church provides
an after school program for at-risk children. Teachers and
church members provide care and activities. The church started
out as a "sponsor" of the school as designated through
the school superintendent. The church and school work closely
together with church members also volunteering in the classroom
to read with the students. The after school program started
with a music program and has evolved from there.
The
school has about 250 students, kindergarten through fifth
grade. About two-thirds of the students stay for the after
school program. The development director for the church in
charge of the program is Phyllis Nelson. She reports that
parent participation at school functions has increased from
20% to 70% since September when the after school care began.
Phyllis says it has also been a great experience for the church
members as well.
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Shell
Ridge Community Church, Walnut Creek
American Baptist
Sandy Mitchell, Logos Director
925-687-3976
This
small congregation of 130 members has grown a successful afternoon/evening
program that now reaches 25 children from first through twelfth
grade. Seven years ago the congregation decided they wanted
children to be their primary focus. They chose to reach out
using the Logos Program. After sending interested persons
to Logos training, the church now offers a Wednesday program
from 4:30 to 7:10 p.m. The program has been so well received
that they now offer "Logos Light" even during the
summer! The full program offers playtime with games and crafts,
worship skills to practice music, family time when all eat
together, and Bible study. According to Sandy Mitchell, Logos
Director, Logos is based on building relationships. The children
get to know the adults of the church as they build their relationship
to peers and with Christ.
The
children pay $50 per semester and about half are on scholarships.
The church has found that if students pay something, attendance
increases.
Through
the Logos program, church members have come to appreciate
how much the children need extended family. One of the children
lost their father to suicide. At the funeral service were
two pews of people who knew him through Logos. Without that
connection to the church, only the Sunday School teacher probably
would have been in attendance. Another child made a point
of locating her "table parent" at the Christmas
Eve service to establish that connection. A second grader
new to the neighborhood came to Logos and then went home and
told her parents that this is the church they were going to
go to, and so they did.
The
church now realizes that they can do this! It took some convincing
to get over the barrier that they were too small (about 130
members) to accomplish the task. Currently there are about
30 - 40 adults involved. They may come in for just a part
of the evening and then leave. That way the commitment is
kept to a manageable level. The church has added grade levels
to the program over the seven years of operation.
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Community
United Presbyterian Church, Los Angeles
Rev. David Morris
Thelma Stribling, Elder (Home - 323-758-4701)
323-752-3129
Every
Wednesday four or five members of the Community United Presbyterian
Church of Los Angeles take turns helping the children from
the elementary school across the street with their homework.
The small church of 67 members secured a grant from the Presbytery
to fund the project. Received in early 1999, the funds are
used for materials and snacks.
The
school principal is very cooperative and appreciates the help
with the students who have "so many needs." About
12 - 15 children participate. A grandmother of one little
girl called the church and expressed her appreciation for
the care her grandchild receives and for the patience of the
teachers.
It
took some time to get the lines of communication clear with
the school as they are on a multi-track school year. These
kinds of logistical issues were the biggest difficulty in
getting started. Now the pastor of the church, Rev. David
Morris, is hoping for a paid coordinator to expand the program
even further.
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Episcopal
Church of Our Savior, Oakland
Leah Martinez (a.m. - 415-398-9001)
Ch. - 510-834-6447 (2-6 p.m.)
The
Oakland Chinatown Jubilee Community Center has a growing after
school program that started two years ago. This year it has
jumped from 24 children last fall to 35 this semester. It
began with 10 children in 1998.
The
Episcopal Church of Our Savior funds this tutorial program.
It provides help with homework: reading, math, science and
includes extra homework sheets for the children to work on.
Some of the parents are unable to understand the homework
assignments so the tutorial program steps in. The church funds
the paid tutors, the director, and pays for supplies. The
children are charged a nominal fee. They are currently looking
for grant funding as well.
When
Director Leah Martinez was asked to describe a success story,
she said, "They are all a success story! They are so
happy when they get their grades. They show me their grades
or progress reports. One school teacher asked one of the students,
'You are doing so good! How are you doing this?'"
Slowly the word is getting out about the program. Five new
participants came from that one teacher.
Some
of the biggest problems are in securing reliable helpers.
Volunteers were not consistent, and children like consistency,
said Martinez. Now they pay $6.50 an hour and still find it
difficult to fill the positions from 3:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Although she would prefer college-age tutors, the program
now employs five high school students as tutors.
An
additional problem is holding the program in one large hall
in the church with eight children per table. The noise and
confusion is high. Soon the basement of the church will be
finished, providing four separate classrooms which will greatly
enhance the program.
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St.
Luke's Presbyterian, Rolling Hills
Janet Reed and Marilyn Barr, Directors
Every
Tuesday afternoon kindergarten through eighth graders gather
at St. Luke's Presbyterian Church in Rolling Hills to make
a "Joyful Noise." While it is mostly a music program,
there are also crafts and some drama. The younger children
meet from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. and the fourth through eighth
graders come from 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. to be "The Good News
Choir." Altogether there are about 16 children involved.
The church found that there is not enough time in Sunday School.
Tuesdays were developed for more enrichment and fellowship.
Other children from the neighborhood come on Tuesday afternoon
who don't come on Sunday morning. In their second year of
operation, the program is supported by the church budget and
the $10 per child enrollment fee for the school year.
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Grace
Lutheran Church, San Jose
Janis Gerlinger, Director
408-274-1200
Grace
Lutheran Church of San Jose serves an ethnically diverse community.
Three days a week (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday afternoons),
children from third to sixth grade come to the church's "Homework
Center" for help. With a grant from the city, this is
the fourth year of operation. The program now has 55 to 60
children enrolled, although not all come at the same time.
Director Janis Gerlinger notes that the program has been especially
helpful for single mothers and families for whom English is
a second language.
Ms.
Gerlinger notes that grades have improved or good grades maintained.
The homework of participating children is completed and turned
in whereas it might not have been without the Homework Club.
The program is staffed by high school volunteers who help
the children read and understand their homework assignments.
The
main difficulties the church faced in getting started were
getting through the funding process and lining up volunteers.
Retaining consistent volunteers remains their biggest problem.
Ms. Gerlinger says that the after school program makes the
community more aware of the church. She also likes to see
the church facilities used during the week to meet the needs
of the surrounding community: a winning combination!
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Resurrection
Lutheran Church, Oakland
Roxanne Seagraves, Director
510-625-1049
The
after school program at Resurrection Lutheran Church has grown
from eight children to thirty-six, with forty on the waiting
list, in just three years. The program serves the children
from the elementary school three blocks from the church. Director
of the program, Roxanne Seagraves, and others meet with the
teachers of the school in the spring and fall of the year
to determine what kinds of tutoring and support the students
need. They work closely with the school, which promotes the
program by sending out letters and applications to parents.
For
students who come regularly to the after school program grade
point averages increase one point for every grading period.
The grade levels served are third through fifth, with a few
in second grade. A few seventh graders who graduated from
the program two years ago have asked if they can still come
and they do.
The
program is staffed by paid college students. It is funded
by an endowment from the thurh and the $10 per week tuition
charged. About 25% of the students are on scholarship. Director
Seagraves is working toward becoming a licensed program that
will open up more funding opportunities.
Ms.
Seagraves is putting together a manual on how to run this
kind of an after school program that will be made available
for other churches. She advises churches just getting started
to grow slowly. Some of the difficulties Resurrection Lutheran
encountered along the way were: 1) They did not realize the
extra work that would be required by the church treasurer
in getting monthly financial statements to the program so
they did not overspend. That problem is now resolved but it
took about a year to correct. 2) The church is primarily of
Scandinavian background serving an African-American community.
Bridging the cultural gap and building trust on both sides
has been a challenge. Now new families from the community
are joining the church and church members are feeling more
comfortable with all the noise of the after school program.
Once a month family dinners have helped bridge the gap. 3)
The after school program had to realize that they could not
serve all the children who came. Clear goals had to be established
and referral services developed to serve children whose needs
were beyond what the church program could provide. Their reason
for being is for academic support, not recreational. They
had to set a boundary and not try to serve emotionally disturbed
children, who were then referred to proper agencies.
Ms.
Seagraves is willing to talk to interested persons. You can
reach her at 510-625-1049.
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Aldersgate
United Methodist Church, Chico
Karolyn Gardner, Director
530-893-8640
"I
can't believe the change in my kids! They can't wait to come
every Tuesday." Such was the enthusiastic support of
one parent whose children come to the Aldersgate United Methodist
Church program. It runs from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. every
Tuesday through the school year. It provides a recreation
time, Bible study, a hobby and life-skill unit, dinner, and
music. Volunteers are on a waiting list to share their skills
with the children, such as: bicycle repair, holiday crafts,
self-defense, cooking, puppet ministry.
The
church started their program just last September. It is staffed
by volunteers who were the ones who begged to extend the program
an extra month this spring. It has grown from 12 to 22 children
in the first through sixth grade. Donations from the church
and student fees fund the program. Children's ministry Director
Karolyn Gardner reports she is blessed with faithful volunteers
and extra money. The weekly program has brought in children
who are not from church families and has provided fellowship
for single parents as well.
After
the unit on "grace being a free gift we don't deserve,"
one young man was seen picking up his brother's clothes at
home. His mom said he didn't need to do that, to which the
reply came, "It's okay. I'm showing my brother grace."
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First African Methodist Episcopal Church, Oakland
510-655-1527
Rev. Damon Powell, Coordinator
The First AME in Oakland (with 1400 members) runs an after
school program two days a week, Tuesday and Thursdays from
3:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. They have about three tutors who work
in shifts. It is a tutoring program with a healthy snack provided.
The church has 14 computers for the students to use for homework.
Tutors give individual students additional worksheets to do
if they have a weak area needing extra help.
The program started last September and exists through church
donations and budget money. Tutors are volunteers, mainly
college-aged and working adults. The church has applied for
grants but so far none have been received.
Currently there are about 12 children between 9 years and
11 years of age. A few teens drop in on occasion. The children
who come have been consistent since the start of the program.
They like being there and the volunteers have come to know
the children. Though the numbers are small, Rev. Powell says
it is a good program and worthwhile. The facility is great
for such a program.
The
early difficulties in getting started were in how to fund
it and how to actually run such a program. Rev. Powell did
a lot of visiting to other homework centers, and public and
private schools. Staffing was also an early concern. Currently
keeping a consistent volunteer staff is an on-going difficulty,
as well as funding for snack food.
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Grace
Presbyterian Church, Weed
530-938-4571
Susan Harrington, Director (hours noon - 5:30 p.m., call before
2:10 p.m.)
Rev.
Henry DeGraaff with others in the church and community started
the idea of an after school program in the church. Susan Harrington
was hired as director. They run 5 days a week from 2:20 p.m.
- 5:30 p.m. The program started this school year with 12 children
but now there are only 4. The church has been unable to get
outside funding because they are a church (according to Susan).
The biggest difficulty is that they are not a licensed program.
Without licensing they are unable to attract low-income children
because the parents are not subsidized for unlicensed child
care. In addition, funding from federal food programs is not
available because the program is not licensed. Some improvements
to the church property are required before licensing can move
ahead.
Before
starting the program the pastor and others talked to the community
about what they wanted for the children. The desire was for
a tutoring and homework program. There were plans to do a
whole reading/tutoring program using America Reads, but since
they are not a licensed program, this is not an option. As
the program is currently run, there is a time for homework,
crafts, free time, outdoor play, and field trips. Some community
service work is also done. The local school buses drop the
children off at the church after school.
For
background and church information Susan suggests we call Rev.
Henry DeGraaff at the above number.
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Central
City Lutheran Mission
San Bernadino
Rev. David Kalke
Phone: 909-381-6921
The
Mission was founded in 1994 by a Lutheran congregation in
an abandoned Lutheran church facility. It began in 1996 with
a food pantry and in 1997 began its after-school program.
There are now 33 congregations that support the Mission. They
also receive funding from government and private grants. In
addition to the after-school program, the mission serves adults
with HIV/AIDS and has recovery homes purchased through HUD.
During
the school year, the after-school program serves between 45
and 60 children daily. The children served are between five
and twelve years of age. (They also have a summer program
which is day-long and serves 125 -150 children.) With the
support of the Mexican Consulate they also run a program in
Spanish. The neighborhood they serve is 65% Mexican-American
and 35% African-American. It is one of the poorest in the
United States, according to Rev. Kalke. There is a high teenage
pregnancy rate and 60% of the children in school drop out.
95% are on public assistance and free lunch program.
The
after-school program consists of a structured homework time
or activities that involve writing and reading. In writing,
they work on the children's ability to express their own stories.
The Mission has an extensive library of Latin-American and
African authors.
Following
the homework time is an activity either outdoors or involving
art, music, or dance. After a clean-up time, a hot meal is
served and the children are dismissed at 6:00 p.m.
The
program is run by neighborhood youth. The 13-14 year olds
are the Power Teens. They are assigned as assistants in the
kitchen and computer lab. The teens get used to coming in
and doing assigned work and are paid $1.00 a day. The program
matches that amount at 50 days.
The
15-19 year olds are Peer Educators. They run the after-school
program doing the tutoring, cooking, serving, and planning
of the activities. They are able to develop relationships
with other teens which rebuilds the social fabric that poverty
has destroyed. Children who know these teens will run to them
if they need a safe place away from home.
The
program includes Academic Enhancement Activities. These are
12-week problem solving courses. They may do research to start
their own neighborhood business, or read the autobiography
of Malcolm X and then write their own story. They can get
certified on the computer and then take home their own computer,
donated from corporations. There is a computer lab with five
or six computers open until 9:00 p.m. daily, and a room with
weights and other equipment.
The
difficulties experienced in getting the program started were
in funding and helping the congregation understand that it
is a slow process to grow a project. It took a while to help
them understand how to work with government and in getting
government agencies to consider the value of faith-based service
delivery.
The
current difficulty faced by the program is the poverty of
the neighborhood; there are many issues including health-related
deaths and the government relocation of families with children,
which leaves children traumatized.
When
asked if he could describe a success story, Rev. Kalke declined,
stating that he wants to avoid the middle-class poster-child
image of what a success might look like. He says success for
this program might be keeping someone out of jail or off drugs,
or keeping a child in school longer, or a reduction in gang
violence. These are not things that one can easily measure.
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